Raven-Symoné

Birthday: 10 December 1985, Atlanta, Georgia, USA

Birth Name: Raven-Symoné Christina Pearman

Height: 157 cm

Raven-Symoné Pearman was born in Atlanta, Georgia, to Lydia (Gaulden) and Christopher Pearman. At a young age, she moved to New York. While there Raven signed with the Ford Modeling Agency. They sent her out on a audition for a movie called Ghost Dad (1990), which also starred the legendary Bill Cosby. She was deemed too young for the role since was only 3 years old, but Cosby could see she had talent. They asked Raven to come back to read lines, and she did so well that she got a starring role as Olivia on the last three seasons of The Cosby Show (1984). After the show finished its run, she decided to try something new like singing. In 1993, she became the youngest person ever to sign with MCA Records. She also went back to acting with a starring role in Hangin' with Mr. Cooper (1992), alongside Mark Curry and a small role in the TV mini-series Queen (1993). After another small role in the feature film The Little Rascals (1994) and the role of Goldilocks in the TV series Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child (1995), "Hangin' with Mr. Cooper" ended.Raven's singing career was doing well and she landed a role in Doctor Dolittle (1998) alongside Eddie Murphy and a made-for-TV movie called Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century (1999). She also starred in Dr. Dolittle 2 (2001), but she was not available to do Zenon: The Zequel (2001). However, the Walt Disney Company, which made the Zenon movies, wanted her back to do a pilot for a new Disney TV show called "Absolutely Psychic," in which she would be a supporting character. She impressed them so much that they changed the show's premise to be about her and the show's name was changed to That's So Raven (2003). After the show was a hit she did the made-for-TV movie The Cheetah Girls (2003) and recorded a new album. A movie based on "That's So Raven" may be in the works. Show less «

[on life with AzMarie Livingston] "I refuse to binge watch shows with anyone unless it's my partner ...Show more »

[on life with AzMarie Livingston] "I refuse to binge watch shows with anyone unless it's my partner because I need to watch it when I need to watch it. Right now, I can't watch the rest of Suits because I gotta wait for her. I'm like, 'I want to watch it now!' " Show less «

I am obsessed with my hairstyles.

Singing is just another outlet to express what I feel and to show everyone who I really am. I really...Show more »

Singing is just another outlet to express what I feel and to show everyone who I really am. I really don't talk about my personal life that much in interviews because that's my life, but with music, the way I write explains who I am. Show less «

Everybody takes breaks, and I decided to take mine. I wanted a chance to wake up at two in the after...Show more »

Everybody takes breaks, and I decided to take mine. I wanted a chance to wake up at two in the afternoon and not be a subject of entertainment. I wanted to be a human being. At certain times and certain years, I felt like the Energizer bunny. That gets old very quickly. Show less «

I believe you should be comfortable in your skin no matter what you go through - emotionally or what...Show more »

I believe you should be comfortable in your skin no matter what you go through - emotionally or whatever - as long as you're healthy. Show less «

I love to see the smiles on people's faces when you cook for them. I love to go to different restaur...Show more »

I love to see the smiles on people's faces when you cook for them. I love to go to different restaurants. I want to cook because I know this acting isn't going to last forever, and I want something to fall back on. It's another way to make people smile. Show less «

I'm not one for a public display of my life.

The way we function in society - it doesn't make sense sometimes because it's all based on how you l...Show more »

The way we function in society - it doesn't make sense sometimes because it's all based on how you look and then how badly you should feel after you eat the food we just advertised. And then when someone in the public eye goes up or down, it's like a major moment. Show less «

I'm definitely addicted to purses.

I used to breed poodles. I liked them because they were fluffy and so cute - and honestly, they make...Show more »

I used to breed poodles. I liked them because they were fluffy and so cute - and honestly, they make a lot of money when you sell them! Show less «

I think our society is all about judgment, which is so rude and disrespectful.

I've definitely had obstacles in my career - my whole entire career - to stay a certain weight, to g...Show more »

I've definitely had obstacles in my career - my whole entire career - to stay a certain weight, to get smaller than I have been, but I look at my family, I look at where I come from and that's not really in our genes. Show less «

I went to public school, elementary through high school. I went to homecoming, to football games, pe...Show more »

I went to public school, elementary through high school. I went to homecoming, to football games, pep rallies, I got detention, I got an F. I've done it all. Show less «

I'm not perfect. This is how I was raised. If I wasn't in the industry, I'd be the same person.

Behind closed doors, I'm a crafty person.

I find it funny that people now come up to me and say, 'Wow, you are absolutely gorgeous. I'm like, ...Show more »

I find it funny that people now come up to me and say, 'Wow, you are absolutely gorgeous. I'm like, 'I was beautiful before I lost weight. Egotistically speaking, I thought I was amazing.' Show less «

It's difficult to not be able to just be yourself without criticism in any position, whether you're ...Show more »

It's difficult to not be able to just be yourself without criticism in any position, whether you're in high school, college, or this industry. Show less «

I have a responsibility to not look crazy in public. I don't want to be the person where later in li...Show more »

I have a responsibility to not look crazy in public. I don't want to be the person where later in life when I have kids, to say, 'Don't do this' and my kids go, 'But Mom, you did it.' Show less «

[About retiring from acting at age 27] "I realized there had been a plan for me since I was a baby. ...Show more »

[About retiring from acting at age 27] "I realized there had been a plan for me since I was a baby. There was a bucket list that I didn't create, but I just kept checking things off. So I added, 'I want to be the youngest person in my world to retire.' " Show less «

Be very professional because it will get you a lot further. You have to treat people with the same r...Show more »

Be very professional because it will get you a lot further. You have to treat people with the same respect whether they're signing your checks or cleaning up after you. Show less «

It's important for young people to know that they are made the way they are made and they're beautif...Show more »

It's important for young people to know that they are made the way they are made and they're beautiful and that's how they're supposed to be. Show less «